Fresh cheese products containing biogenerated flavor components and methods for producing

Abstract

The invention provides for the manufacture of cheese products enhanced with a natural, biogenerated flavoring system. The natural flavoring system described herein may be used with various types of cheese and dairy products. In one embodiment, the system may be used in the production of flavor enhanced fresh cheese or cream cheese. In another embodiment, the system may be used in the production of low-fat cheese products, such as low-fat cream cheese.

1. A process for making a flavor composition, comprising the steps of:
 (a) heating a dairy product comprising 15 to 35 percent cream and 5 to 15 percent concentrated milk fat to a temperature in the range of 60 degrees C. to 140 degrees C. for an amount of time between 15 minutes and 24 hours to induce the production of thermally induced flavor compounds; 
 (b) mixing the heated dairy product from step (a) with a salt citrate and a nitrogen source; and 
 (c) fermenting the mixture from step (b) with lactose fermenting bacteria and flavor producing lactic acid bacteria in a two phase fermentation cycle comprising fermentation phase one and fermentation phase two, wherein phase one is conducted without aeration and phase two is conducted with aeration. 
 
     
     
       2. The process of  claim 1 , wherein the temperature is about 84 to about 92 degrees C. 
     
     
       3. The process of  claim 1 , wherein the time is about 55 to about 65 minutes. 
     
     
       4. The process of  claim 1 , wherein the thermally induced flavor compounds produced comprise at least one of lactones, acetyls, or furans. 
     
     
       5. The process of  claim 4  wherein the lactones produced comprise at least one of g-hexalactone, g-octalactone, g-decalactone, g-dodecalactone, 6-dodecene-g-lactone, delta-hexalactone, delta-octalactone, delta-decalactone, delta-dodecalactone, or delta-tetradecalactone. 
     
     
       6. The process of  claim 1 , wherein the salt citrate comprises sodium citrate. 
     
     
       7. The process of  claim 1 , wherein the nitrogen source comprises yeast extract. 
     
     
       8. The process of  claim 1 , wherein the lactose fermenting bacteria are selected from the group consisting of  Lactococcus cremoris, Lactococcus lactis,  and mixtures thereof. 
     
     
       9. The process of  claim 1 , wherein the flavor producing bacteria are selected from the group consisting of  Lactococcus lactis  ssp  diacetylactis, Leuconostoc cremoris,  and mixtures thereof. 
     
     
       10. The process of  claim 1  wherein the method further comprises combining the heated dairy product of step (a) with a milk concentrate having a lactose concentration of less than about 2 percent prior to step (c), wherein the milk skim milk concentrate. 
     
     
       11. A method for preparing a low-fat cream cheese fermentation product , the method comprising the steps of:
 (a) heating a dairy product comprising 15 to 35 percent cream and 5 to 15 percent concentrated milk fat to a temperature in the range of 60 degrees C. to 95 degrees C. for an amount of time between 15 minutes and 24 hours to induce the production of thermally induced flavor compounds to provide a heated dairy product; 
 (b) mixing the heated dairy product with an edible citrate salt and/or corresponding acid, an edible nitrogen source, and optionally a milk concentrate having a lactose concentration less than about 2 percent, to provide a dairy mixture; 
 (c) fermenting the dairy mixture with lactose fermenting bacteria and flavor producing lactic acid bacteria in a two phase fermentation cycle comprising fermentation phase one and fermentation phase two, wherein phase one is conducted without aeration and phase two is conducted with aeration; and 
 (d) mixing the fermented dairy mixture of step (c) with cream cheese base to provide the low-fat cream cheese fermentation product, wherein the low-fat cream cheese fermentation product contains less than about 20 percent fat.